"IS THIS GAME WORTH 50 BUCKS?"

Let me clear the table and expose my biases and skeletons regarding "Doom" before I give you as honest and unbiased an opinion as humanly possible. This must be done because reviewing this game is like reviewing Cecil B. De Mille's "The Ten Commandments": the darn thing has stood the test of time, inspired countless clones, defined a booming genre and has become seriously freaky!
My biases are as follow:
-never played "Doom" on the PC or Mac, which means that since I've never engaged in Deathmatches, their absence from the Saturn version doesn't affect the scores;
-rented the PSX version (from which the Saturn version is ported) ages ago, and thought it was OK but unworthy of a purchase because of less-than-stellar visuals;
-own the 3DO version and briefly played the SNES version;
-I'm stuck in "Turok" and enjoying every minute of it;
-don't plan on getting "Doom 64"...too expensive;
-played the hell out of "Powerslave", and still do every few days (read the review!).
-don't particualrly hate or love the first-person corridor genre. It is a case by case choice in which some ("Alien Trilogy" for Saturn) tickle my gaming bone more than others (the awful "Disruptor").
Now that all of that is out of the way...

GRAPHICS/VISUALS: B-

Frame-rate hovers between 15 and 20 frames-per-second when navigating levels, and takes a dip bellow 10 when the action gets heated (which, in "Doom", is often). Visual fireworks that dazzled the PSX version are MIA, replaced by placeholder-looking effects that are adequate substitutes and don't look too shaby. Pixelation is heavy when close to a wall or enemy, but all versions of the game feature this now-classic flaw. Blood (or pixels looking like it) is everywhere, and so are the familiar cheats, escape routes and hidden walls. The resolution of the graphics is bellow average, and doesnt't help making the descent into Hell any more appealing.

For those familiar with the 3DO version of "Doom" (by far the worst of all console ports), imagine that version in full-screen with "Killing Time" speed and control. Overall, I'd say that the visuals of Saturn "Doom" are better than 3DO and SNES (duh!), but bellow PSX and (this is a pretty safe bet) "Doom 64" standards. Not awful, but barely passable.

SOUND/MUSIC: A

YES! This is the sound processor of my Saturn giving me the moody music, angst-ridden screams and ear-piercing shotgun blasts that the PSX version had. Like "Die Hard Trilogy", the audio aspect of Saturn "Doom" slightly exceeds the samples of the PSX "Doom". Hook it up to a stereo, turn off the lights and you feel like you are side-by-side with deadly Imps and CyberDemons. Unfortunately, and also like "DHT", the visuals can't fully back the experience that the audio feast provide.

GAMEPLAY/FUN FACTOR: B-

It is really hard to break something that ain't broken, and to play "Doom" now is to unsderstand both the primal feelings of understanding, frustration and sadness. Regardless of the many clones "Doom" has inspired, the original's frenetic pace and sheer addictiveness still remains pure in any console. Even the awful 3DO version and the graphically-weak SNES version were enjoyable...gameplay is king and any "Doom" game can still score an A regardless of the visuals. However, the Saturn "Doom" gets a much lower score because it comes at a time when the stakes have been raised and, regardless of gameplay, visuals must be of a higher caliber than what this version gives us.

My Saturn can handle smooth corridor games; "Powerslave" is the game I will stick in the face of anybody who wants to tell me the Saturn can't do 3D with style. GT Interactive is no Lobotomy Software (makers of "Powerslave"), but I expect my king-sized "Doom" gameplay with a frame-rate high enough to allow me NOT TO FIGHT WITH THE CONTROLLER when engaged in the heat of battle. Slowdown also makes the choppy graphics look...well...sad. You can't go wrong with a game bearing "Doom" as its name; it is practically a license to make money when done correctly. Saturn "Doom" gets a passing grade (despite GT Interactive's apparent efforts against it), but in today's marketplace this isn't what Saturn needs.

OVERALL: B-

Newcomers to "Doom" who don't have a N64 or PSX and want to make a stand in support of the Saturn can do worse that "Doom" (by trying GT Interactive's "Hexen"...don't get me started!). I'll keep it as a collector's item, in fond memory of the milestone the game has become. But be aware that the PSX version is better and cheaper. "Powerslave" easily decapitates "Doom", and if you are not looking for nostalgia-inducing memories, Lobotomy's masterpiece is worth the 50 bucks (if you can find it).

Saturn "Doom" is the type of game that you may enjoy playing but should definitely not be shown to your N64 and PSX owning friends...the taunts and ridicule could be too much. If a friend owes you a game or a birthday gift, make "Doom" that gift...the fun you will have supporting the Saturn version will be made the more sweet by the fact that you didn't pay $50 bucks for the (ahem!) privilege.
- J.M. Vargas